Manvel Municipal and Athletic Center (MAC)

The Manvel Municipal and Athletic Complex (MAC) is a proposed development of the 160-acre tract of land owned by the City of Manvel located near State Highway 288 and Del Bello Blvd. If developed, MAC will boast the Manvel Sports Complex, an amphitheater, an open-air performance venue for concerts and events, community spaces, and space for retail, shops, and hotels. View the MAC concept design. 

Recent Updates

At the City Council meeting on Monday, May 1, 2023, Tim Austin, Bond Counsel, provided an update to City Council concerning the introduction of HB 5403 into the Texas House of Representatives. This bill would authorize the creation of a special district for the Manvel Municipal and Athletic Center. If approved by the State, this district would be governed by a board appointed by Manvel City Council. Once established, the district would begin to generate revenue, which would be used to establish the infrastructure for additional amenities, such as the proposed Sports Complex and city facilities.

Who Pays for the Special District? The Special District Itself!

Austin describes the classification of a special district as a "credit" tool. Without the special district, a city would typically issue bonds or debt to build facilities that would need to be paid for by the city. With the special district, the city's revenues as a whole are not committed to the district. This means the City of Manvel, and by extension, its taxpayers, would not be funding the development of the district. Instead, the district would fund itself. Some of the revenue sources generated within the district would include property taxes levied within its boundaries, sales taxes, hotel occupancy taxes (HOT), and rental taxes. Learn more about how a special district functions by watching Tim Austin's presentation in full.

Feasibility Report Overview

During workshop session of the City Council meeting on January 3, 2023, a representative of The Sports Facility Advisory (SFA) presented the feasibility report for the Manvel Sports Complex, outlining the potential revenues, expenditures, and benefits the city can expect from this portion of the MAC project. Below is an overview of the feasibility report, but the report can also be found in full on our website.  

Determination of Feasibility

SFA deems the opportunity to develop the Manvel Sports Complex to be a “Feasibility: Yes, if” project, meaning that the facility can meet the goals of the facility while requiring a relatively minimal operating subsidy and producing best-in-class levels of economic impact.

Goals

The goals outlined in the report include the creation of a premiere sports tourism destination, the promotion of economic growth and new visitation to Manvel, and the desire to provide a space for year-round sports and recreation opportunities to the residents of Manvel.

Revenues and Expenditures 

With these goals in mind, SFA developed a financial forecast and economic impact analyses. Based on the estimates provided by the report, SFA projects the development cost for the Manvel Sports Complex will be $63.9 million for the outdoor fields, excluding land costs. The total combined cost includes the all-in cost of turf fields, equipment, support buildings, parking, site development, soft costs of construction, and soft costs for operational start-up. Below, the table summarizes the anticipated breakdowns for use of funds. 

The Manvel Sports Complex is anticipated to generate over $61 million annually in new spending in and around Manvel. This is money spent at hotels, in restaurants, and at commercial establishments by visitors who would not visit Manvel but for the tournaments or events at the Sports Complex. This projection equates to approximately $4.1 million of economic impact per field per year.

Broken down even further, the report estimates that overnight visitors are expected to spend an average of $145.98 per person per day for tournaments and events.

The ongoing operating subsidy of the Manvel Sports Complex is anticipated to be between $115,000-145,000 per year, once established. When compared to similar facilities, the Manvel Sports Complex generates more revenue per field and requires significantly less subsidy than the average comparable facility. Based on the market opportunity, partnerships, and plan for industry-leading outsourced management, the report projects that the Manvel Sports Complex will generate approximately $182,000 per field (versus an industry average range of $50,000-95,000) and will require less than $10,000 annual subsidy per field (versus an industry average range of $20,000-$40,000).

Sustainability

The sustainability of the project can be measured by looking at industry growth and endurance. As stated in the report, sustained growth in the youth and amateur sports tourism industry over the last 10+ years is one of the most compelling reasons to consider sports tourism as a reliable, attractive industry. Additionally, sports tourism is the only segment of the tourism industry that did not decline in any quarter of the Great Recession, allowing it to be considered “recession resistant.”

Programming 

The Manvel Sport Complex will host multi-purpose fields, diamond fields, and could accommodate 12 sport event types including:

• Soccer
• Baseball
• Softball
• Lacrosse
• Field Hockey

The ability of multi-use fields provides a substantial combination of program offerings throughout the entire complex. Outside sports, the complex could also accommodate other recreational activities such as events, trainings, and gatherings.

Potential Partners

As stated in the report, SFA has identified and fostered interest in bringing programs, tournaments, and events to the City from a few potential partners. Each of these partners brings a unique opportunity for the Manvel Sports Complex to be successful. SFA has engaged each group to identify and model the key elements of their desired commitment to the City and its future Sports Complex operator. Listed below are two of the groups SFA has engaged and the potential programs they would bring:

Houston Dynamo | Dash Youth Soccer Club
Houston Dynamo | Dash Youth Soccer Club and SFA have worked to establish preliminary terms for a partnership that would bring the following uses and tournaments to the Manvel Sports Complex:

• Five Regional Tournaments
• Three Local-Focused, Small-Side Tournaments
• More than 1,600 Annual Hours of Weekday/Practice Use

Perfect Game USA
Perfect Game USA and SFA have worked to establish preliminary terms for a partnership that would bring the following uses and tournaments to the Manvel Sports Complex:

• 30 or More Regional Weekend Tournaments
• Five National Week-Long Tournaments